Brothers-In-Arms
by Loopstagirl
Summary: Arthur might have lost his father, but that didn't mean he had lost his family. It was about time he realised that.


Merlin knew that Uther's death had hit Arthur hard. It wasn't as if the man had been the strong King in his later days as he had even the year before, the sting of Morgana's betrayal causing a wound so deep that even Gaius had no remedy. Arthur had taken control of the kingdom long before Uther's death – the people had been turning to him to lead them throughout the uncertain times. But still, even the shadow of a man had been Arthur's father, and to lose him in such an unexpected way – it was clear that the King was struggling. Merlin knew how much Arthur had looked up to his father and sought the man's pride, especially a few years ago. Even though Arthur had truly become his own man recently, it was obvious that the need to please Uther had still existed within him. To now have that chance denied… Merlin knew what it was like to lose a father, and that was without knowing Balinor. To lose the only parent that he had ever truly known, Merlin was worried about the long term effect this was going to have on Arthur.

That was why, on a cold and frosty morning, he was standing outside, freezing, waiting for Gwaine. Leon, Percival and Elyan were already there, Gwen being the decoy and keeping Arthur occupied so that he didn't notice the absence of his servant. He should have known that Arthur wouldn't have dismissed her presence the way he often threw Merlin out these days. She seemed to be the only one able to get through to the king. Merlin was just glad that Arthur still had someone. Hopefully that would be about to change, but that would assuming that Gwaine eventually turned up. They all needed to be here for this to work.

"Where is he already?" Merlin muttered, almost jumping up and down on the spot from where he was so cold. It was okay for the rest of them; they had several layers to insulate them against the biting cold. Merlin didn't exactly own much. Elyan seemed to read something of his thoughts in his expression.

"Here." Elyan drew off his cloak and offered it out to the shivering servant, almost without really thinking about what he was doing. Merlin shook his head even if his eyes were staring at the thick material longingly.

"I can't." He sighed, almost taking to step away from Elyan so that he wasn't tempted. The men around him were his friends, but that didn't mean everyone in Camelot would approve of a servant wearing a knight's cloak. Then again, there were still those in Camelot that didn't approve of these particular men wearing the livery of Camelot either. Arthur had passed a lot of changes since he had begun to take control, but not everyone had been quite as accepting as others.

"Considering the reason and the purpose behind what we are doing today, Merlin, I think you can. What's the point of doing this if it is one rule for him and one for us? We have to show that we are united with this."

Merlin couldn't argue with that and draped the warm cloak around his shoulders, trying not to obviously snuggle into the warmth. Elyan was right; they were here today for a reason. If Merlin insisted on making sure the difference between their statuses was obvious, then it would all be for nothing. It might have been him who had organised this, but it could just as easily be him to ruin it all.

Gwaine took that moment to arrive, mumbling some excuse about kitchens, pies and apples even as he swept his long hair back from his face His friends all just looked at each other with amused expressions, Leon looking somewhat thankful that it was food that was the reason behind Gwaine's lateness rather than the man nursing a hangover. Merlin smiled tersely, but then stepped forward. In a way, he didn't even think about what he was doing, the fact that a mere servant was taking command of knights. Instead, he just knew that they were all there for the same reason – to help a friend. It had been his idea, and he knew that the others were expecting him to lead the way here. Even Leon seemed to know that when it came to cheering up Arthur, his servant had a better idea of what it took to make their friend smile again. Just because that friend happened to be the King of Camelot was neither here nor there.

"Are we ready?" Having made sure everyone knew what the plan was, Merlin turned and almost tripped over the end of Elyan's cloak. Percival's hand shot out to catch him and a small chuckle left the knight as Merlin blushed. Smiling in gratitude, Merlin led the way. He might be the one saving Camelot on an almost daily basis from behind the scenes, but he knew without doubt that people were there to catch him should he ever fall. He wasn't sure that Ealdor had ever felt so much as home as Camelot did these days. He had a job, his friends, a destiny… He had a life here, and right now, he knew that he could potentially lose it if he didn't snap Arthur out of the mood he had been in lately. It was fine for the new king to grieve, but not when it would start to affect Arthur's decisions.

Thankfully, they did make it up to Arthur's chambers without any further mishaps, unless Merlin tripping several times counted. After the fourth time, Percival simply made himself the servant's shadow, there with a quick hand every time it seemed as if Merlin would stumble again. For his part, Merlin was just glad that he didn't have to wear a cloak like this all the time, it would be hopeless. He didn't see how they were supposed to be practical in the slightest and it just confirmed his suspicions that they were only there for show.

They met Gwen coming in the opposite direction, her eyes sad, just as they entered the corridor that led them to the king's chambers. Elyan looked as if he wanted to stop her from going on her way, to make sure that his sister was okay, but Gwen simply brushed past. Arthur wouldn't have done anything as such, he just wouldn't have been very good company. Merlin couldn't help but sigh sadly as they watched her disappear around the corner.

It was time they tried to change that.

Reaching the royal chambers, Merlin took a step forward. Leon caught his elbow, hauled him back and pointedly knocked. Grinning sheepishly, Merlin waited for the answer until leading the way in. It seemed that some things were never going to change. Whilst Leon had been surprisingly accepting of Merlin considering he was a noble and had been a knight in Uther's time, it seemed that there were some things that he still insisted were done properly. Knocking on the door before entering the king's rooms was one such thing.

"What are you wearing, _Mer_lin?" Arthur was over by the fireplace, glancing around with an incredulous expression as his servant stepped through the door. It only took him half a glance before he had taken note of everything. Not only what his servant was wearing, but the fact that his personal, handpicked knights were all standing directly behind Merlin.

"Considering you have one exactly the same, I thought it would be obvious."

"I know _what_ you are wearing, what I want to know is why." Arthur huffed, folding his arms and looking expectant. Merlin just took it as a good sign that Arthur hadn't already ordered him out, but had actually turned around to face him properly. It seemed that Gwen had done more good than she had perhaps realised.

"I was cold." Merlin said casually with a shrug, determined to keep the mood as relaxed as he could. He wasn't quite sure how Arthur would react to what was coming next, but this was certainly a good way of broaching the subject. Merlin might never seem to stop talking, but bringing up something important was certainly not his strong point.

"So you just thought that you would take a cloak, one of the Knights of Camelot, I might add…" The disapproval was more than obvious in his voice and Merlin found that his eyes found the floor almost out of habit than anything else.

"He did not, Sire. I gave it to him when I could see how cold he was." Elyan's voice, however, caused Merlin to look up again. He was not here as a servant, he was here as a friend. It was about time he remembered that and Arthur took note of it.

The rest of the Knights stepped through the door and Merlin smiled at seeing Arthur blink in surprise. These men might have been closer to him than most, but they didn't normally turn up unannounced. He looked like he was going to say something else in response to Elyan's comment, but Gwaine cut in first. The fact that Arthur had already opened his mouth made him start – even Gwaine wouldn't normally interrupt him that bluntly when it had been obvious the king was about to say something.

"That's right. Why should Merlin be cold when we are warm? We are all men, meaning we are all equals, brothers."

"Gwaine…"

"Knighthood is a type of brotherhood, Sire, you know that." It was Leon's turn to step forward now. "But I think you also know that it goes beyond the call of duty and therefore beyond stations. Merlin is as much one of us as you are."

"You are, Arthur." Percival moved now, cutting in before the King could speak. Arthur looked almost frustrated that his men weren't letting him get a word in edgewise, but Merlin could see the way he was beginning to soften around the eyes. These were men that he would listen to, regardless of what they were doing.

"You are one of us."

"What is your point?"

"That you are not alone, Arthur." Merlin spoke softly, contentment in his heart as he realised that he was not the only one who would give absolutely everything for his king. A few years ago, Arthur would have had the loyalty of the knights, but he wouldn't have had their unwavering friendship. The men surrounding Merlin now were not here out of duty from their knighthoods. They were here because of their duty as a friend, and the look on Arthur's face indicated that he was beginning to understand that.

"You may have lost your father, but you haven't lost all your family. We're here, Sire, right here where we have always been."

The whole group fell silent, waiting for Arthur's reaction. He seemed to simply stare at them for a long moment, clearly not wanting to draw attention to the tears building in his eyes. His emotions had been running high for so long, their words were clearly getting to him. Arthur carefully swallowed, and Merlin knew that he was trying to gain a hold over his emotions. But in a way, he needed to let go. He needed to do the opposite of what Uther had always trained him to do – he had to show that he was just like any other young man who had a heavy burden placed suddenly on their shoulders. He needed to be able to let go in order to move on, and watching Arthur's face closely, Merlin had a feeling that was about to happen.

"Family?"

"Family, Sire. Brothers." Leon stepped forward, grasping Arthur's arm. They all pointedly ignored the way that, despite his best efforts, Arthur's voice had trembled slightly. The King's face split into the first true smile that Merlin had seen for days as the rest of the Knights stepped forward and repeated the process. As Elyan stepped back, Arthur turned to Merlin. For a moment, they just locked eyes, a look passing between them that said for more than words could ever say.

"Well ,you'd obviously be the runt, Merlin."

"Of course, Sire."

Merlin smiled, his expression mirrored on Arthur's face. Arthur gently nodded at him, and Merlin knew in that small gesture that Arthur had realised who was behind this whole scheme. He was not just acknowledging Merlin's role in helping, he was grateful for it. For the first time in weeks, Merlin felt as if a shadow had been lifted from him now that Arthur seemed to be relaxing. Maybe now, the king would be able to move on a little and no longer try to bear the burden of everything on his own. He was not alone in this, and it was only now that Arthur seemed to realise that. As the rest of the men filed from the room, Merlin still had a smile on his face as he automatically began gathering the breakfast dishes to take away. Arthur was watching him quietly, but Merlin wasn't worried. The tension in the room that been lingering between them for the last few days was gone.

It was good to have him back.

Not their king, not their leader, master or fellow knight, but their friend.

Their brother.


End file.
